Road safety is no place for politics

Politics is everywhere. The very act of driving a car is in effect a statement that you don’t mind shoring up the society we’re are all in together by paying oodles of road and fuel tax.

Alternatively it is a statement that you are free-thinking individual who shuns public transport in favour of your own personal transport agenda.

But sometimes there is no place for politics.

According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), the accident prevention charity, we need to help low-income families who are most at risk of road accidents.

A RoSPA’s report shows how exposure to danger is a factor which can vary significantly between socioeconomic groups. For example, children in families in the lowest income bracket cross 50 per cent more roads than families in the highest.

The report also makes a series of unfathomable recommendations including this one:

"Education interventions need to help individuals and communities to overcome the social factors which act as barriers to safer behaviours, and empower them to have more control."

Yes, it’s a bunch of social worker speak drivel and makes the point that because the poor can’t afford a car with a million airbags its all our fault. They might as well ask for redistribution of wealth, as well as taking over the means of production and blaming Thatcher.

We live in a reasonably free society where if we work hard we can buy a fancy car that’s safe. Also if we look both ways when crossing the road, or at least wait to attack that six pack of Stella Artois until we get home, then chances are we won’t be knocked over. It’s all about choices and some of us make bad ones, including buying a Proton Impian and whether or not to use a Pelican Crossing.

In my view, as soon as charities start making political points rather than doing excellent work, they should lose their tax-free charitable status. Or stand for election. Now, RoSPA, put your reflective tabards back on and leave us all alone.

My local paper reported this week that fatalities in Surrey have dropped so much in the last 4 years that they are launching an enquiry - pressure groups like undertakers (and presumably share-owning MPs and councillors) obviously need more terminal casualities to remain financially viable!

There are 2 local schools. one private one state, kids look the same age groups.

One school, if you ever see the kids, they are being walked around in a row with a supervisor at each end. If roads are crossed the traffic is stopped first etc.

The other, the kids roam freely and randomly, darting into and across roads. It seems to me that the former are far safer, but its not something the families of the other kids couldnt do, nor would it cost anything, so its nothing to do with wealth.

I am not suggesting rich people care for their kids more, but they do appear to take more preventative steps when it comes to safety. so its hardly a surprise that road safety has something to do with how much money your family has.

I suspect education is the answer, teach kids and their parents that roads are dangerous! make parents responcible for their kids too.

" ...teach kids and their parents that roads are dangerous! make parents responcible for their kids too."

Instead we teach them that the private motorist is the lowest form of life on the road and that they can walk in front of a car and if they get hit, it will be the drivers fault. How often do you see this - kids or teenagers strolling slowly across the road, quite comfortbel in the knowledge that traffic will stop for them...

James, how do you think organisations like ROSPA try to improve safety? Do members hang around on street corners escorting grannies across the road? Or do they engage with politicians to discuss safety problems and get laws enacted that improve safety?

The lollipop man, usually comes from a low income household. And how come the Police no longer direct traffic. Dual carriageways have been reduced to single lanes everywhere. Cycling has priority over traffic. Yet car manufacturers make V8 monsters. The FIA's nominated charity is road safety. Traffic chaos. Bus lanes sitting empty. Trains that cost an arm and a leg. Walking is free.

The very same could be said for jumped up car journalists. Don't try and say that poor people just need to work harder to get on in life and get a nicer car, which is also safer. Stick to what you do poorly, and comment on people not buying a new car that's cheap to run, but rather a big old v6...

And if you're going to try and make statements about social mobility, learn about it somewhere other than the telegraph first.

Road accidents are increasing day by day and it is high time to find out some solutions. But mere law making can not solve problems. It is every individual's responsibility to obey the traffic law and follow the do's and don'ts. And this issue should notbe mixed with politics.

I seem to be disagreeing with James on both this blog and his one about cyclists.

Interestingly with the same answer:-

"Apply the Dutch Law, not ours. You don't see any abusive road hogs over there, motorists have to be courteous to other road users or otherwise end up in court. It creates a much more cohesive and agreeable society in which to live. Just go over there and try it."

Now a days road accident are continously increasing and to stop this everyone should follow road traffic rules while driving as most people donot follow the rules that is the major factor of most of the accident on the roads.la fixed